Irons only off the tee

[rudebhoy]

Yeah I reckon there's a limit to what you can achieve by doing this. It depends on what you want from your golf. As has been said, learn to hit the driver, it's a slightly different set up but other than that I think people make too much of it being a very different swing, in fact if you could swing your driver with the smoothness of a long iron you'd be doing quite well. How did you come about the driver btw? I wonder if the shaft isn't suited to you, could be that a whippy shaft is making you lose the clubhead and you're constantly adjusting with little sucess. Or it could be too stiff/boardy for you to activate. Worth looking at imo, as Junior just said if you can hit a long iron off the turf you should be able to launch a decent driver more often than you are doing.

I think it's a mental block as much as anything. I can go to the range and hit my driver reasonably well. Step onto the course, it's a different matter, will duff 2 or 3 low and left most rounds, and slice a good few as well. Mind you, it does help at the range that if you hit a bad one, you just pick the next one and hit that straight away. Big difference on the course with 10-15 minutes between drives.

I had a lesson 5 or 6 weeks ago, and it did help a lot, I was hitting them well, but I'm slowly reverting back to more bad shots than good with the driver.

With iron shots, I don't think about much other than rotating and keeping my eye on the ball, with the driver I'm thinking loads of things- weight on the back foot, visualise a window up in the sky so that my left shoulder is higher than the right, pull the club back with my right rather than push it with my left etc etc. plus the fear of failure is in my mind - it's no wonder I don't hit it well with all that going on!

Current driver is a Ping G SF Tec with regular shaft, picked up 2nd hand from ebay 3 or 4 months ago. Changed to this from a Cobra F7 senior shaft as was slicing badly and it did work great at first, but has slowly went downhill. But like I say, I think it's a mixture of mental issues and bad technique rather than the wrong shaft.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I have been known to hit a wedge 200 yards. just a shame I only needed to hit it about 80!!!

...and that's just the thin end of the wedge...

 

[shortgame]

I have been known to hit a wedge 200 yards. just a shame I only needed to hit it about 80!!!

The easiest way to hit a 150 yard wedge is to try to lay up short of water at 140!

 

[bobmac]

Hitting an iron off the tee is like riding a 3 wheeler bike.......easier than a 2 wheeler but not as much fun.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Hitting an iron off the tee is like riding a 3 wheeler bike.......easier than a 2 wheeler but not as much fun.

Depends...when you are infected by the Sh**k virus, hitting a driver or other big headed club off the tee is unfortunately a lot, lot easier than hitting any iron off the tee.

 

[Grant85]

I think there is also the mentality of people wanting to play to their handicap every time and going conservative.

i.e. thinking I'm a 15 handicapper so I should be shooting at least an 85 (assuming par 70) and simply not wanting to bring a double or triple into play.

However your handicap is really a reflection of you on your good day so you only really need to play to your handicap once every 5 to 10 rounds, depending on the difference between your low round on the days you play well and your average score of the other days.

So for me, a far better process would be to go to a driving range, or a coach, and convince yourself that you can at least hit a few good drives and that you are a decent driver. Clearly we all struggle with different clubs at different times, but I'm sure that everyone who plays golf regularly has the capacity to get 8 to 10 decent drives in play on their good days.

In reality, spending dozens of hours a month playing golf and not spending a couple of them on getting something useful out of your driver seems crazier than hitting an iron off every tee for years on end.

Obviously, yes, play the shot your feel comfortable with and if a tight tee shot requires less than driver and there is OOB / bundai in play, then by all means take the correct club and don't just go hitting 15 drivers at all the par 4s and 5s.

 

[6535]

During the winter off a shortened course I hit irons to the areas where I’d normally be when playing off the white medal tees in the summer. The only time I hit driver would be on par 5’s or if it’s windy. It’s great way to practise as you need to strike your irons well.”

 

[Dasit]

Grip down your driver until almost on the shaft


I could not hit driver for most of this year, the last month I changed nothing else but gripping right down and now find hitting driving as easy as hitting a 7 iron.

 

[Curls]

I think it's a mental block as much as anything. I can go to the range and hit my driver reasonably well. Step onto the course, it's a different matter, will duff 2 or 3 low and left most rounds, and slice a good few as well. Mind you, it does help at the range that if you hit a bad one, you just pick the next one and hit that straight away. Big difference on the course with 10-15 minutes between drives.

I had a lesson 5 or 6 weeks ago, and it did help a lot, I was hitting them well, but I'm slowly reverting back to more bad shots than good with the driver.

With iron shots, I don't think about much other than rotating and keeping my eye on the ball, with the driver I'm thinking loads of things- weight on the back foot, visualise a window up in the sky so that my left shoulder is higher than the right, pull the club back with my right rather than push it with my left etc etc. plus the fear of failure is in my mind - it's no wonder I don't hit it well with all that going on!

Current driver is a Ping G SF Tec with regular shaft, picked up 2nd hand from ebay 3 or 4 months ago. Changed to this from a Cobra F7 senior shaft as was slicing badly and it did work great at first, but has slowly went downhill. But like I say, I think it's a mixture of mental issues and bad technique rather than the wrong shaft.

Sounds to me like you've tied yourself up in swing thought knots there chap, you should barely be thinking about 1, max 2 things really and a window in the sky certainly aint one of them!!!

Some people do well with mechanical thoughts and some are best when they think about something far away from them. Go to a good pro and talk it out, there's no point in smashing them on the range and duffing them on the course and as much as you can avoid the driver for now, the better you get the more it will hurt your ability to score if you cant rely on it. Good luck and keep us updated on the progress!

 

[Wolf]

I agree with everyone that so far has said whilst it's smart and will keep you in play it's limited in its ability help you progress.

I'm having major issues with my driving at the moment to, as a junior driving was my strong point was always very accurate however now when I hit the driver 9/10 are so far right of target I barely find the course. So been hitting a lot of 3 Woods to keep it in play. Got chatting last night with my dad who taught me how to play and he talked me through how when I had a fitting at Callaway when I was about 18 years old, I was fitted with a Driver spec of 43.5 inches. The driver I'm currently using is at 45.5 inches and I do feel I struggle with it and it maybe a complete coincidence but 3 wood shaft in my XR is 43.5 and that feels ideal to me for off the tee.

So I'm going to book a fitting session for driver and 3 wood then look at some lessons to iron it all out properly instead of getting in more of a mess..

Maybe you could do the same get your driver checked to see if its right fit and get a lesson to go with it..

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

One of the lads in our Sat am roll-up has recently had a few lessons - he has been struggling real bad of late - the lessons were aimed at primarily making him able to keep the ball at least vaguely straight and on the short stuff - and not worry too much about distance.

He hasn't gone 'all iron' (work was principally on his grip) but on Saturday for the first time ever (after many years) he won the roll-up - with 30pts over 13 holes. And when asked 'how did you do it'. Well - he said - I lost a fair bit of distance but I was keeping it on the short stuff (as it happens I spoke with the pro who gave him the lessons and he said that our man wasn't actually losing very much distance at all - he is just thinking that he is).

You wanna just win something - anything - off your handicap? Then keep it on the straight and narrow - however you can.

 

[garyinderry]

If you can hit a driver you are probably trying to smash the cover off the ball. You should be able to poke , clip, cosey, what ever you want to call it. A simple prod of the driver should be able to match and beat any pounded iron off the tee.

You would be surprised how far one of these clipped drivers will run in right conditions as it hasn't been struck hard enough to produce too much back spin.

 

[Maninblack4612]

The only way you're going to learn how to use your driver in proper play is to use it in proper play. Using irons all the time isn't proper golf. The match you're playing isn't that important that the score is the most important thing. Just persevere with it. It you're thinking of too many things stop. One key thought on the backswing & one on the downswing is as much as anyone can manage. Understand what the clubface is doing when it meets the ball, face open /closed, swingpath in to out / out to in, then do ONE thing to correct it. Get to know your own swing. When you have a lesson make sure the pro explains the mechanics of your bad shots. If you don't know this you don't understand your own swing & can't help yourself. And, having seen your swing, I would say, SWING IT FURTHER BACK!

 

[hairball_89]

At my handicap, going round playing bogey golf would be an excellent score. I've done this once or twice 5i-Sw in the pencil bag. Both times, albeit on a shorter course than id usually play (5300 off the yellows), I've scored as near as makes no difference to scores with driver & 4 wood in the bag. My 5iron is 175-180yrds, so the longer par4s aren't reachable, but as it stands they're not reachable in 2 for me from the rough or the trees, or the next field!

Driver is my biggest aim over winter. When I catch it perfectly out the middle it goes like a rocket and good god it's fun, but sadly it's not often enough at the moment and playing the courses I play most often, I can get by without one it's a vicious circle of non-use!

 

[Hobbit]

As a halfway house why don't you only use the driver on the holes with wide open fairways with little in the way of 'killing grounds' either side. We have 4 holes where hitting the driver can ruin a card, i.e. hit the fairway or almost certainly lose a ball. They're short holes anyway, do why even consider a driver. Each of them can be played with a 3 iron and a wedge. Its more fun hitting the driver but apart from 1 eagle there's been too many double bogies. 3 iron every time.

I'd recommend playing the driver on just a few holes. As your game improves add in a few more holes.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Personally I'd be hitting the range and working out the gremlins with the driver. If I can hit it well there I know I can hit it on the course. After that, it's a case of picking a target and trusting the swing. It's hard when you don't trust it and it's easy to sub-consciously steer it. Try to ignore the score and just play with it

 

[Captainron]

I'm all for scoring well but i always find it surprising that someone can hit a 3i / 4i / 5i and not a driver or 3w with the same degree of consistency.

You’ve met me? Right?

 

[anotherdouble]

You’ve met me? Right?

Well let’s be honest, he would never meet you left

 

[GG26]

When then ground was dry this summer I took my 4-iron off of the tee on all but our longest par 4s and the par 5s. With roll out was getting 220 yards. Wouldn’t work in current ground conditions on most par 4s as would be looking at 170 carry and little roll out.

 

[Dannyc]

Had my best ever round when I decided not to hit the driver apart from par 5s
My home course ain’t very long though